From its creation until today; civilization is at odds with basic human instinct. While civilization is just a mechanism used to control human instinct and establish order for a larger society to function; the basic human is far from being controlled. Sigmund Freud in “Of Civilizations and Their Discontents” suggests that nothing can really control human instinct but rather dissuade it from its nature “homo homini lupus” (Freud, 1697), which translates into the fact that man is a wolf for man. This form of "homo homini lupus" instinct suggests a more aggressive side of humans, with a tendency not to interact with people but simply to use them. Henrik Ibsen, through his use of the character Hedda Gabler, exemplifies Sigmund Freud's form of homo homini lupus instinct and uses it as a means to take advantage of the flaws of civilization as a whole. Henrik Ibsen always had a persistent theme of placing this character in the bigger picture. in a setting that does not fit within the natural boundaries of society. This was meant to show that what society or civilization imposed on people was unfair and contrary to natural human traits. Hedda Gabler, through her exposition of homo homini lupus or what Sigmund Freud asserts as natural human instinct, is the fulfillment of Ibsen's unique character theme. His aggression towards and use of others is an excellent example of this societal exclusion and a primarily natural use according to Sigmund Freud. One such persona that Hedda uses constantly is her new husband, George Tesman. Although Tesman loves her very much and married her for the usual reasons (love, etc.), Hedda's reasons are quite different. She marries Tesman purely for selfish reasons; an example of this would be when...... middle of paper...... his instinct. Hedda managed to break away from the one thing that civilization was trying to control. Freud suggests that “the time comes when each of us must abandon expectations as illusions…” (Freud, 1697). This implies that at the end of every illusion comes the realization that waiting is meaningless when conformity to civilization is equally pointless to achieve. Hedda hoped for financial wealth, but due to the boredom of current civilization, Hedda was inclined to escape into beauty or Ibsen's theme of defying conformity. Works Cited Ibsen, Henrik. Hedda Gabler. 1890. The Norton Anthology of Western Literature. Lawall. [8th edition, vol.2, 1984]: 1411-1466. Freud, Sigmund. Of civilization and its discontents. 1929. The Norton Anthology of Western Literature. Lawall. [8th edition, vol..2,1984]:1696-1699.